Artem Case Studies

Sochi Winter Olympics ANCO

After our incredible experience on the London 2012 Olympics, it’s fantastic that Artem was requested once again to create a set of bespoke props, this time for the Sochi Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony.

Artem created hundreds of lightweight, oversized and simplified construction tools as props for a sequence in the opening ceremony. These were designed using Solidworks Computer Aided Design (CAD) and then cut out of plastazote foam using Artem's three-axis router. Some props had working mechanisms, for example the Jackhammer was spring-loaded to create a chisel action. This required more intricate parts that were laser cut at a rapid rate from aluminium on a CNC machine; this enables hundreds of identical item to be produced.

These props were painted red to give the final Russian touch. They were used in a sequence which depicted Russia's rich industrial history. Actors used the tools to build a giant train suspended from the stadium's ceiling, as part of a sequence that explored Russia's Soviet past.